Laugh Tracks

Chicago native Chris Redd has struck a groove during his second season as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. A staple in the series’ musical skits, Redd recently won an Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics Emmy for his work on the show. We caught up with the comedian before he takes the stage at WBUR’s CitySpace on March 16.

What has your second season of SNL been like? It’s been good because it’s not the first year anymore. I was more comfortable coming in. I was like OK, now I know no one’s going to walk in and tell me to leave, because I was reeling off that vibe from the first year. It’s just being more comfortable, having your people that you know that you can go to the crib with, and not feeling so lost in an office environment. It’s a great feeling.

What are your favorite skits? The music ones, for sure. Being up there is so much fun. It took me a second to wrap my head around doing it, and once I did I was like, “Aw man, I get to do that all the time? That’s so much fun!”

How did you get into comedy? It was kind of random. I was at a McDonald’s visiting one of my friends and I was cracking jokes for like two hours. They gave me free food, and I was like, “Damn, maybe I’m funny,” or maybe they just thought I was homeless. Either way, I was inspired. That was, like, 10 years ago this month.

If you weren’t a comedian, what would you be doing right now? If I could pick any job, I’d be in advertising or marketing or something like that, because advertisement offices are fun. They have beanbag chairs, they drink during the day—and so it’d be a lot like my life now.